Kent on Keough: 'His Mark Will Forever Be on the Company He Loved and Served'

Today we lost one of the truly great leaders of not only The Coca-Cola Company
and system, but also the broader arenas of business, philanthropy and
education. Don Keough,
former Coca-Cola president, chief operating officer and director, died in Atlanta
with his family at his side. He was 88.

Don was
an exceptional builder of organizations and people and an inspiration to all those
hoping to carry the title of leader.

Speaking
personally, and I know on behalf of all whose lives he touched, he was a man
who challenged us, inspired us and changed us.

Don’sCoca-Colahistory dates to 1950 when he joined
Butter-Nut Coffee. That company was acquired by Duncan Foods, which was
subsequently acquired by TheCoca-ColaCompany in 1960. Don retired from Coca-Cola
in 1993 and returned as a director in 2004 and served until 2014 when he became
an advisor to the Board.

Don’s
mark will forever be on the company he loved and served. He brought a steady
hand to the wheel in challenging times, unmatched operating skill that
strengthened and expanded the Coca-Cola system and an expansive vision that
helped make Coca-Cola a truly international brand.

We talk
today about “brand love.” Don understood those words at a deeply personal
level. Our brands were something far more than products to him. They were a
trust and a legacy; an asset beyond value and the key to our future.

He once
told me how he had a very simple view of his job. He said, “Every day I come in, I want to
polish our brand – make it shine just a little brighter, sparkle just a little
bit more.” Those words come back to me every single day, wherever I am in the
world.

Don was
a rare combination. He had all the head knowledge and all the heart knowledge
to move us forward.

He was a
man who lived for the details. He had a driving curiosity for how things worked
and an unrelenting determination to make them work better. No one has ever
known more about our business or our brands.

But he
also knew that a business does not succeed on the excellence of the mechanics.
It succeeds on people—the bonds they form, the relationships they build and the
vision they share.

As a
leader, he was a consummate relationship builder. That signature skill came as
naturally to him as breathing. He adored people. He could relate to everyone –
regardless of culture, background, walk of life or age. And within minutes,
they could relate to him. He saw every encounter as a learning opportunity,
which took him to 140 countries and countless lunch tables with rank-and-file
Coca-Cola employees.

He was a
man who personified the ideals of being constructively discontent. He believed
that occasional failure was the price of progress. What really worried him was
success. He offered some quotes to live by. One of my favorites is: “Isn’t
there something we should be worrying about today in order to make sure we have
something else to worry about tomorrow?” Or this one: “People, companies and
countries can get into trouble when they start to think they’re successful. They
get arrogant.”

In 2013,
he expressed his passion for learning to the first class of our Keough System
Leadership Academy. “The brain is like a sponge,” he said. “If you let it get
dry, you can peel it off bit by bit. That’s the way the brain is. To have
output, you have to have constant stimulus and input.”

Don’s legacy will loom large and long endure not only
here at The Coca-Cola Company but also at Allen & Company, where he served
as chairman since 1993. He also made a lasting positive difference serving on
the boards of other organizations including Coca-Cola Enterprises, Colombia
Pictures, IAC/InterActiveCorp, Yankee Global Enterprises LLC, Berkshire
Hathaway, McDonald’s Corporation, The Washington Post Company, H.J. Heinz
Company, and The Home Depot.

In addition, Don was chairman
emeritus of the Board of Trustees and a Life Trustee of the University of Notre
Dameas well as a trustee of
several other educational, charitable and civic organizations.

Our heartfelt
condolences go out to the entire Keough family that Don loved so much. We share their loss, and we share their pride
in the legacy of one of the truly great leaders in the history of business.

We also
thank Don for all he has meant to this company and all of those who had the
privilege to know him during his long life of service and leadership.

The
world has lost a giant of a man in Don Keough. And we at Coca-Cola have lost an
extraordinary leader, mentor and friend.